Cigarette and method of making same



Oct. 27, 1931. .1. D. GILLIAM 1,829,559

CIGARETTE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Sept. 15, 1927 INVENTOR James D. GiHiam BY 6 PM, W

TTORNEYS Patented Oct. 27, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES DANIEL GILLIAM, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO BRITISH-AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY, LIMITED, OF YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF GREAT oreannrrn AND mnon or mine SAME Application filed September 18, 1927. Serial No. 219,361.

The present invention relates to cigarettes and has particular application to a blended cigarette and the method of making the same.

As is well known, the term blended as 5 applied to a cigarette indicates that the tobacco filler thereof is composed of a mixture or blend of two or more tobaccos of different species, grades or kinds. For instance, the filler of one brand of cigarettes may be composed of a mixture or blend of Turkish and domestic tobacco; another brand may have a filler made by a mixture of two domestic tobaccos, e. g.Burley, a dark tobacco, and Virginia, a light or bright tobacco; while 1 still another brand. may have its filler composed of a mixture or blend of Turkish, Burley and Virginia tobaccos. Indeed, the components are numerous, and differing from each other, according to the practice of various manufactureraand also with respect to the blends of various brands. Heretofore, however,it has been the practice,in the manufacture of blended cigarettes, to first mix or blend the leaves of the various kinds or grades of tobacco and then to cut the mass of mixed leaves into small shreds or strands, thus forming a composite batch or blend of cut or comminuted tobacco which, when desired, is deposited in the feed hopper of the cigarette machine, operating in the usual manner to form the cigarettes.

There is incident, however, to this practice a distinct and well-recognized disadvantage, this residing in the fact that it is a practical impossibility to so mix or commingle the tobaccos as to provide, for the individual cigarettes, a filler of uniform blend or mixture. The cause of this is that it is impossible to so mix the various kinds or species of tobacco and subsequently to control the distribution of the mixed tobacco from the feed hopper of the cigarette machine as to provide for each cigarette a filler wherein, throughout its length, a proper proportion and distribution of the various tobacco components will exist such as to provide a uniform filler throughout. For example, although the greatest care may be taken in mixing the tobaccos in accord with certain select proportions and formulae, yet one part or portion liable to contain un of the mass or batch of blended tobacco deposited in the feed hopper of the cigarette machine may be composed of too much of one kind and too little of another kind of tobacco; and likewise the mixture showered from the feed hopper of the cigarette machine on to the paper strip, from which the wrappers of the ci arette are formed, is esirable proportions of the component tobaccos. Indeed, it has been 00 found that from a single charge or batch of blended or mixed tobacco placed in the feed hopper of the cigarette machine, cigarettes varying widely in the proportions of the components of the fillers will be produced. It has been the experience of every cigarette user that frequently the individual cigarettes of a single package will differ in taste so that ,oft times the person will complain that the blend or tobacco of a favorite cigarette has 7 been changed by the manufacturer, when, as a matter of fact, such an apparent difierence in taste is due to the irregular or non-uniform distribution of the components of the blend in the cigarette.

By the present invention, I have obviated and eliminated this serious disadvantage incident to the present practice of manufacturing blended cigarettes for with my improved method, I am enabled toproduce a cigarette wherein the components of the filler are uniformly distributed in the form of layers or strata and in proper and desired proportions throughout the entire length of each individual cigarette, thereby insuring that all the individual cigarettes of a articular brand or blend will possess uni orm smoking qualities.

It is also my purpose to provide a cigarette wherein the shreds or strands of the various tobaccos, instead of being commingled or intermixed as is the' case with the known practice, are uniformly Stratified throughout the whole cigarette, thereby insuring proper distribution of the various tobacco components.

With the above recited objects and others of a similar nature in view, my invention consists in the improved cigarette and method of making the same set forth in and fallin within the scope of the appended claims.

11 the accompanying draw1ngs Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved cigarette made in accordance with my improved method;

Fi 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan View showing an unrolled cigarette wrapper with the tobaccos deposited thereon in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on o the line 44 of Figure 3.

In the practice of my invention, I proceed as follows.

Assuming, merely by way of an example,

- that it is desired to make a cigarette having a filler composed of two kinds or species of tobacco, such as a bright or light tobacco shown in the accompanying drawings at 1, and a dark tobacco shown at 2, I first separately comminute or cut the leaves of the two tobaccos into usual fine shreds or strands. Then, in the making of the cigarette, if'a cigarette machine be used, instead of mixing or commingling the two kinds of cut or shredded tobacco, I maintain the same in separate batches when deposited in the hopper of the cigarette machine, as by dividing the hopper of the machine into separate compartments to receive the diflerent kinds of tobacco, or by providing a separate hopper on the machine for each kind of tobacco.

Then, in the operation 'of the machine, in making a cigarette such as is shown in Figure 1, a layer or stratum of one kind of tobacco, for instance-the light or bright to- 2 is separately showered or deposited upon and along the layer or strip of light tobacco 1 in an even, continuous and uniform manner, and then a third layer or stratum of light tobacco is deposited as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Then, when the paper strip 3 with the tobacco thereon is rolled, sealed and cut by the machine, the cigarette, as'such is indicated by the letter C, will result. Owing to the separate feeding and uniform and even distribution of the tobaccos in layers or stratum upon the wrapper paper, I assure that the filler of each individual cigarette will contain throughout its entire length, just the right proportion or amount of each kind of tobacco so that all the cigarettes of a package will possess uniform blend and taste.

As will be noted from an inspection of the drawings, a cigarette made by my method, and particularly where the dilferent tobaccos used differ in color, will have the appearance in cross-section or end view of a cigarette having extending therethrough a spine, strand or core contrasting in color to the 1 that the tobacco of the cigarette is uniformly and evenly distributed throughout and that there will be no variation in taste or aroma while the cigarette is being consumed.

Although I have in the drawings shown one kind of tobacco as extending core-like centrally through the cigarette, it will be understood that my invention is not limited to this precise location or arrangement, as the various tobaccos forming the filler may be distributed separately and longitudinally on the paper without regard to the particular location in the filler of the diflerent layers or strata of the tobaccos used.

Furthermore, it will, of course, be understood that my invention is not confined to the use of tobaccos of any particular color, grade or kind.

It will further be understood that any suitableagency may be used for carryin outthe method and for the manufacture of t e cigarette, and therefore the manufacture is not confined to a particular machine or machinery.

While I have herein shown and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details herein set forth by way of illustration, as modification and variation may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A blended cigarette comprising a paper for like wrapper and a filler composed of different species of tobacco in the conventional shredded or finely divided form ordinarily used for cigarettes, each species being disposed in a separate stratum or layer throughout the entire length of the cigarette.

2. 'A blended cigarette comprising a paper or like wrapper and a filler composed of separately disposed uniform layers of tobacco imposed one upon the other throughout the length of the cigarette, said tobacco beingin the conventional shredded or finely divided form ordinarily used for cigarettes, and the tobacco of each layer differing in species from the tobacco of the other layers of the filler.

3. A blended'cigarette comprising a paper or like wrapper and a filler composed of a center core of one species of tobacco extending the length of the cigarette and surround ed by a tubular body of a different species of tobacco, said tobacco being in the conventional shredded or finely divided form ordinarily used for cigarettes.

4. The herein described method of mak- 'ing a blended cigarette which comprises depositing upon the cigarette wrapper or paper a layer of tobacco of one species, then uniformly and se arately depositing upon the (first mentione tobacco a second la er of tobacco of a. difierent species, said to acco being in the conventional shredded or finely divided form ordinarily used for ci arettes, and then rolling and fashioning the clgaretfe.

Signed at London, England, this first day of September, A. D. 1927.

JAMES DANIEL GILLIAM. 

